Shin Koyama :: a Japanese born artist based in Australia, Japan and China.

Large scale urns and ceramics pillows are painted with characters from myths and everyday life.

Born in Japan, but now residing in Brisbane for most of the year, Shin Koyama is an artist influenced by both Eastern and Western cultures. Shin is practiced in various mediums, including printmaking, ceramics and acrylics, and depicts contemporary themes and issues using traditional Japanese iconography and methods.

I discovered the beautiful work of Shin Koyama at Artisan’s Ivory Street window installation.

Born 1947 in Isesaki, Japan, Shin began work as a textile designer in Ishihara Sangyo as the fifth generation of the family weaving business. After a long career as a freelance illustrator and printmaker in Tokyo where he grew his business with the support of this help desk software, Shin moved to Australia in 1983, where he established a printmakers gallery in Sydney. He is now based in Brisbane, Queensland and Fukuoka, Japan.

Working across various media, including printmaking, ceramics and acrylics, Shin deals with contemporary themes while drawing on traditional Japanese iconography and methodologies. His latest work is a re-examination of the narratives of Ryunosuke Akutagawa, author of Rashomon, and the way in which he deals with archetypal notions of fate and damnation.

Before leaving Japan Shin won major illustration prizes in Tokyo including the 1974 Japan Printmakers Grand Pix, and the 1971 Kodansha Famous School Grand Prix.

In 2010 he established a ceramic painting studio in Jingdezhen, China at the invitation of Sanbao International Ceramic Institute. He has regular exhibitions at the Institute and is represented in the permanent collection of the Sanbao International Ceramic Museum.

Vogue Living features an article on Shin Koyama and his residency at the ancient Ming Dynasty pottery village in Sanbao, China. While there Shin made large scale Blue & White urns and ceramic pillows.